


Puppy

by Likelightinglass, mitzvahmelting



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Aftercare, BDSM, BDSM as therapy, Dom Harry Potter, Dom/sub, Enthusiastic Consent, Established Relationship, Loving Marriage, M/M, Master/Pet, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Praise Kink, Puppy Play, Sub Severus Snape, mild impact play/pain play with a dash of CBT
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:47:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28967811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Likelightinglass/pseuds/Likelightinglass, https://archiveofourown.org/users/mitzvahmelting/pseuds/mitzvahmelting
Summary: Sometimes, when everything is just too much, Severus needs to let go of the trials and tribulations of being human and play as a dog.And when he does, Harry is there to take care of him.Enclosed, you will find: petplay, kinky sex and just the right amount of feelings.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Severus Snape
Comments: 41
Kudos: 264





	Puppy

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to serpenscript for originally turning me on (ha!) to this whole concept, and to mitzvahmelting for taking my original incoherent ramblings and disjointed puppy play smut and turning it into a real fic with words and plots and all that jazz. This is outside my normal wheelhouse, but I hope you give it a shot, and enjoy it!  
> \--Light
> 
> Thanks to Likelightinglass for writing scorching hot smut and for having such good taste in kink, because hell yeah extremely specific kink fic! Thanks for letting me join and collab on your work, it was a really fun time and I'm so proud of how it turned out. And also thanks to all the House of Snarry discord folks, without whom I never would have fallen so deep into this fandom :)  
> \--Mitz

When Harry awoke in the very early morning, tangled in bedsheets, with the early summer sun shining down through the bottom of the blackout curtains, it took him a moment to realize Severus wasn't there.

It wasn’t terribly unusual for Harry to wake long after Severus had left, having abandoned their shared bedroom in favor of something with enough caffeine to make terrible things like birdsong and sunrises tolerable to the grumpy old bat, but Harry rarely roused when Severus left the bed. In fact, Harry had hardly recognized the look of their bedroom in this lighting, it was so unfamiliar to him. But something felt off, and Harry was suddenly wide awake, tense, and reaching for his wand with the reluctant vigilance of a man who has seen war.

He tried to tell himself it was nothing, but things had been… well, things had been going so _well_ lately, between him and Severus, and there was something about the universe tugging the rug out from under Harry’s feet just when he became complacent that felt eerily familiar. He was worried especially for Severus, because this whole thing had been about _earning Severus’s trust_ , and how could he do that if he couldn’t even keep the man safe in their own bedroom? How could his lover’s side of the bed still be warm, when the bedroom door was shut, and Severus was nowhere in the room? Harry bolted upright and moved to leave the bed, planting his feet down on the floor beside. Before he could start searching, his foot connected with a hard, thin body, and he heard a light yelp of surprise. 

"Oh, Severus, I'm sorry, I—why are you on the floor, are you hurt?" Harry rushed down beside him. Was he sick? Had he fallen? But that didn't make sense; if he'd fallen out of bed, he should be on the other side, not curled on the floor beside where Harry slept. Great, Harry thought to himself, now I've stomped on him by accident, that's going to help foster trust. 

Two years together, but it was only a few months ago that Harry _finally_ got Severus to admit to the thing that Harry had been suspicious about since the first time they had sex: Severus liked kink. Sensation play, impact play, pain, roleplay, dominance and submission—it hadn’t been a huge leap for Harry to guess that kink would feel cathartic to a man as complicated and tightly-wound as Severus, and that it might have provided some kind of license for him to let go of all those barriers that seemed to exhaust him to maintain.

And Harry was more than willing to play along. Hell, he’d always toyed with it a little when he talked dirty to Severus, and the opportunity to do something structured and get Severus to let go of his tightly-held control was _scorching_ hot. As in, enough to fuel his wanking material for a decade, hot.

So that started a few months ago, but then it was a couple of weeks ago that they got into the argument about boundaries, and Severus had wanted… something far too intense for Harry to feel comfortable doing to him, and as soon as Harry had expressed his hesitation, the shutters had closed behind Severus’ eyes and the over-formal apologies began and—

Thank Merlin they found the puppy thing, then. That had seemed to do the trick, without Harry having to flay his back open or anything horrible like that. The only problem with the puppy thing was the fact that the poor man dropped so hard and so fast that he really put his whole wellbeing into Harry’s hands, literally handing Harry the leash, and if Harry fucked anything up, or needed Severus to resurface before he was ready, then the subdrop could be catastrophic. The amount of calming draught they’d gone through in the last few weeks was unsustainable. (Sev kept insisting he didn’t need it, the bastard.)

With all this in mind, it was a little alarming to find Severus curled up on the floor like this, stark naked, and wearing his puppy collar, of all things. Harry knew he hadn’t slept in it, since they hadn’t played with it since last Tuesday, so that must mean… 

Severus did not reply with words, but unfolded himself from how he'd been lying and, staying on all fours, moved up. And then, he _barked_. 

Not a bark, even, more like a very low "arf" like it was a question rather than a statement. 

Even in their elementary forays into puppy play, Severus had never actually offered a bark unprompted, or at least not without being deep in subspace first.

"Severus?" Harry tried again, confused, and then reached out a hand to stroke the hair out of his face, his go-to "comforting" gesture. When his hand connected with Severus, he leaned in against the touch and closed his eyes, pushing back very slightly against Harry's hand in a nonverbal signal that he wanted more. Without thinking, Harry altered his touch, stroking along the crown of his head firmly and then scratching lightly at his scalp. 

Severus nearly _moaned_ at that, and an excited "Arf! Arf!" broke past his lips as he bunted his scalp against Harry's hand. As soon as he'd realised his reaction, he crouched down timidly, whimpering slightly. _There_ was the Severus he knew now, Harry thought sadly, looking guilty and a little afraid at asking for pets. So hesitant about admitting what he wanted, even in a scene.

"It's alright, Severus," Harry soothed, stroking over his hair and down along his bare back until some of the tension drained out. Well this was...different, Harry thought. They’d never started a scene in this way without talking about it first. And Harry was piecing together how this had started—something must have pushed Severus to want to start the day like this. Likely a nightmare, though Harry cringed as he imagined what kind of nightmare would have been so bad that Severus’s typical morning routines wouldn’t have made it better, nor would waking Harry for some perfectly ordinary, human cuddling. But maybe that was the point? Maybe the puppy thing was just a new tool in the toolbox; maybe it was more effective than the others at providing immediate, targeted relief for Sev’s deepest hurts.

He sat down next to Severus on the ground, wincing a bit at the cold floor. "Alright, love, I'm going to put a warming charm on you, yeah? It's cold down here!" He waved his wand over Severus, who just tilted his head a bit in reaction, then looked pleasantly surprised by the sudden warmth. He nosed against Harry's knee in appreciation and Harry was strangely endeared by it.

"You know, usually, uh, you’re supposed to have a talk before you start a scene like this. You sure you don’t want to have a chat about what you want from this? I’m going in blind, here, Sev."

Severus just looked at him, then set his head down on the floor. Well, if there’d been any question that he was dealing with dog-Severus, the meltingly powerful puppy-eyes (how had he gotten so good at that?) answered that question clearly enough. If Severus really needed it for some reason, well, Harry could deal with that. He could make this work. At least it was always easier to dote on dog-Severus than human-Severus.

"But if you...want to just go for it, we can, uh, yeah we can do that? But I need to make sure you understand, could you give my hand a squeeze so I know you haven’t dropped too far to understand me?” 

Harry is careful to keep his hands in his own lap, not prompting Severus visually, and he waits patiently for Sev to reach out one “paw” to take Harry’s hand, and squeeze his fingers once, briefly.

"Good boy!" Harry praised (more than a little relieved), and Severus practically melted at the enthusiasm, whimpering and looking positively adorable. He gave him some more head scratches, wanting to see him happier. Severus was more free with his emotions like this, it seemed. That should actually make the day easier, not worrying that Severus was secretly holding back. 

"Do you want to be a dog today, hmm? You wanna be a good doggy for your master?"

"Arf!" Severus said, nearly bouncing out of his skin and Harry chuckled.

"What a good boy!" Harry replied with a laugh. "Who's a good boy?" he continued, being generous with the petting, scratching at Severus' sides. “You know, it’s rather early yet, puppy. Do you want some snuggles first before we start breakfast? Shall we get warm, back up on the bed?”

Severus gave a whine, and tilted his head, glancing up at the edge of the mattress with trepidation before burying his face in Harry’s side instead, nuzzling and hiding while making little sounds of discomfort. It pulled a laugh out of Harry, as he was starting to catch on. “No, I’m not trying to trick you, sweetheart. Good puppies get to go on the bed sometimes, with Master’s permission.” But more plaintive whining followed, and Harry smirked, studying the cute little tremble in Severus’ shoulders. “You don’t think you’re a good puppy, do you? Have you been a bad dog, little one?”

Harry didn’t receive much of a coherent answer to that, of course, but he did manage to untangle himself from Severus enough to find that long hair again, give it a soothing pet. “No,” he said softly, “I know you’re a good boy. You might not believe me yet, but your Master knows a good boy when he sees one.” And with that, Harry started petting all over his puppy’s shoulders, his back, and then, struck with inspiration, he began rubbing and scratching his belly, too. Severus seemed to like that _very much,_ rolling over to give him better access. Severus' cock gave a twitch, and Harry stroked down over it a few times, gauging interest, but decided to leave him be there, for now. His hips made a cute little buck at the loss of attention, but a light swat to his thigh stilled him. 

"Up, pet," Harry said, firmly but not harshly. "We can't roll around on the floor all day, and good doggies are obedient, right?"

"Arf!" Severus barked, righting himself immediately, and sitting up on hands and knees. 

"Let's get you ready. Would you like some accessories for the day? I'd like to put you on a lead and pull you around."

"Arf!" came the reply, and Severus looked...quite pleased, actually. Hopeful, even. Harry grabbed a belt from his wardrobe, transfiguring it into a black leather lead to match the puppy collar Severus had put on himself. Harry checked the charms on the collar for comfort and safety before fastening the lead to the little metal ring. After a moment's consideration, he transfigured some coins into a silver dog tag and a set of bells, adhering them to the front as well. Severus gave a tentative shake of his head, jingling the metal, then another, making a tinkling sound when he moved. 

"Now my pup can't wander off again without me knowing, hmm?" Harry hesitated here. His puppy looked adorable and eager on hands and knees, perked up and ready to play, but the part of Harry that wanted to soothe Severus’ earlier distress hadn’t been placated yet. There had to be something he could do for them, other than more snuggles on the bed; something that wouldn’t accidentally break Sev out of his headspace. "One last finishing touch, I think." 

Harry sat himself at the edge of the bed, and tapped his knee to call the puppy closer. “Go on and sit right here, boy, alright? Your fur needs brushing.” Severus gave him a curious glance, but ambled over obediently, sitting himself right on top of Harry's feet and resting his chin on Harry's knee, staring expectantly. Harry stroked his hand through Severus' hair first, petting gently, and Sev bunted against his hand, pressing his large nose against Harry's wrist and soaking up the affection with a happy sort of tutting noise. Then Harry summoned the brush, and ran the plastic-capped bristles gently against Sev’s scalp, detangling with his fingers as he went. 

At first it didn’t seem like the pup would have much patience for this so early in the morning on a day that surely held play and fun in store for him, but his posture seemed to shift after a few minutes, and Harry was pleased to hear a soft moan.

"Such a good boy," Harry murmured, and the last of the lingering stress signs melted out of Sev’s body. Searching for a reward for his puppy’s patience, Harry considered for a moment and then grinned to himself. "I think you'd look even cuter with some ribbons to make floppy ears, hmm?" There were a pair of spare shoelaces buried somewhere in the closet, so Harry summoned them, and then transfigured them into thick pink ribbons, tying Severus’ dark hair into pigtails at the side of his head, over his ears. He made a clumsy looking bow with each ribbon, then gave his pet a comforting little scratch behind each ear.

"Well aren't you adorable, pet," Harry said. "You're such a pretty little pup!"

Severus gave his head a tentative shake, flipping his hair, the motion setting off the jingle of bells at his collar.

With a gentle tug, Harry led him out the bedroom and down the hallway. He cast a subtle cushioning charm on his pet's hands and knees, since he'd be crawling around all day on the hard floor, and Severus _was_ in his forties...hardly a puppy.

"Let's get you some breakfast, pet, and then we'll have some playtime outside."

Even after all this time, Severus was still far too thin for Harry's liking, and he was determined to give him a decent, human breakfast regardless of how he wanted to play today. He decided to heat a scramble of eggs and sausage and diced vegetables on the skillet. A bit messy, but something he could still eat from a bowl. He cut up an apple into bite sized pieces as well, and put it to the side with a handful of blueberries.

All the while, Severus knelt on the ground a safe distance away from food splattering on the stove, connected still to Harry by the lead. Harry set the kettle on for his tea, and Sev gave a tentative sounding bark.

"Pups will get a healthy breakfast, but sorry, no tea, it's bad for doggies" Harry said in mock contrition. Sev gave a little grunt but Harry just smiled. "Bratty pups don't get any treats," he said warningly, and Sev lowered his head.

Breakfast ready, Harry spooned some onto a plate for himself and some into a bowl. On a lark, he charmed the bowl Slytherin green and wrote "Pet" on the outside with his wand. 

He put the food and a bowl of water on the tile beside the table and sat down to eat, drink his tea and read the paper. He tugged the leash, and wrapped it a couple times around his knuckles, to keep Severus close by but still give him plenty of slack to maneuver. 

"Eat your breakfast, Pet," he said and Severus complied, messily gulping down bites of food and lapping up the water, his pink tongue darting out to lick his lips delectably. 

Harry busied himself with the paper and seemingly ignored Severus, but he was keeping a close eye on him, making sure he wasn't having any difficulty eating. He'd been handfed before in their limited play, but this was the first time eating a proper meal out of a dog bowl. Harry was surprised that Severus seemed to be enjoying it, using it as an excuse to attack his meal with much more fervor than he'd ever seen him approach food with before. Well, this was a promising way to get the man to actually _eat_ , though Harry made a mental note to keep an eye on him for any symptoms of stomach ache later. When he finished, Harry summoned the bites of fruit. "Good boy, Pet, was it tasty?" Harry asked, scratching behind his ears.

"Arf!" Severus said, kneeling up, with his hands limply in front of his chest in a begging motion. 

"What do you want, hmm? You want some fruit?"

Severus nodded and opened his mouth, tongue out and panting. His lips were still greasy from breakfast, and Harry swiped his fingertip around his mouth, outlining the light, thin lips. 

He held a bite of apple out flat in his palm in front of him, and Severus leaned down to eat it from his palm. 

"Good boy," Harry acknowledged, continuing to feed him bits of fruit. Severus devoured each morsel, licking up the juice from Harry's skin with short quick darts of tongue, then boldly long laps, finally sucking Harry's finger into his mouth.

As Harry was uncomfortably hard already from seeing Severus' tongue in action, the long hard suck at his finger made him moan. 

Sev looked _delighted_ that he was having such an effect on him, and though it was still odd to reconcile how sexual dog-Severus wanted to be with him, at the moment Harry was too aroused to care. 

Severus nosed against Harry's thigh expectantly, and as if on command Harry turned the chair to better face him, widening his legs and letting Severus settle between his knees.

He _panted_ again, mouth open and tongue out, and Harry groaned at the feeling of that hot breath puffing warm against the fabric of his pyjamas. 

"You want another treat, Pet, hmm? Want to, mmm, want to be a good boy and use that pretty tongue to make me feel good?"

Severus whined, sitting up to beg and panting wantonly and Harry couldn't resist, tugging his hard cock from the loose pyjama bottoms and using the lead to pull Sev’s face closer to his groin. 

"Use your tongue, ah, yes, yesss, very good, Pet," Harry said as Severus licked up and down the shaft, fluttering the tip of his tongue across the foreskin, his glans, even swirling it into the slit. 

Harry moaned, twisting his fingers into Severus' hair and tugging roughly at each wave of pleasure. Severus picked up the pace, sucking and licking at his cock with enthusiasm, as if it were one of his favorite treats. 

"Take it all, Pet,” Harry grunted, pushing deeper slowly and he felt Severus relax his throat, then swallow around him. "Mmm, feels, feels so good. Good boy," he said, using both hands to stroke over his head, down his neck, twist in his hair and then rub lightly along his throat. 

Severus continued to deepthroat him with practiced ease (evidently dog-Severus retained _some_ of human-Severus’ skills) and Harry savored the sensation, closing his eyes and rolling his head back against the chair, muttering praise as he fucked his mouth. 

As he felt his orgasm approaching, he was suddenly seized with the need to see Sev panting again, begging for his come. He pulled out of the wet heat of his Pet's mouth and took himself in one hand, the other still gripping one long, dark pigtail, twisting the strands into a fist. 

Severus looked confused at the loss at first. "Open," Harry ordered raspily, “show me how much you want me to come in your mouth."

Severus keened, sitting up on his knees and practically vibrating with excitement. Harry noticed his cock was hard now, dark red and shiny with precome at the tip. He put his hands out like paws and opened his mouth wide, panting heavily, thick tongue out and lapping at the air. One of the few things they'd done so far was learn _tricks_ , and Severus did begging so well Harry thought he ought to enter him into a show.

Harry stroked himself hard, slick with Severus' saliva and came with a low moan, painting Severus tongue and lips with streaks of white. When the hazy edges of pleasure had subsided he ran his thumb along the side of his pet’s mouth, gathering up the come that had leaked over and pushing it in his mouth. "Swallow, pet, good boy," he said with a breathy whisper. "Very good boy."

Severus keened again and bucked up, then whimpered, thrusting his cock up against the air. 

"Poor pet, did that turn you on? Hmm? Are you hard and aching from doing such a good job sucking my cock, swallowing down my come, begging for it?"

Severus moaned again and, cock hard and bobbing, started barking more forcefully, pleading for attention. But before Harry could consider whether or not to indulge him, Severus started rutting against his shin, humping at his leg and smearing the pyjamas with precome. 

"No!" Harry said sharply, tugging the leash and pulling him back. "Very naughty, pet, humping my leg like a bitch in heat!"

Severus whimpered but pulled off reluctantly, looking up at Harry with mournful dark eyes. He let out another low whine. His hips still shimmied a bit, with quick, subtle jerks, obviously Severus was finding it difficult to keep his arousal under control. Harry knew the reprimand and name calling weren't helping matters either, if the lovely flush to his face and the heat in his dark gaze was any indication. 

"You'll have to be punished," Harry said sternly. "No coming allowed, pet, unless I decide you've earned it. But I know pups can't be expected to have too much self control, so don't worry, I'll help you stay obedient." 

Severus whined again, fretting, but Harry soothed him with a few strokes to his hair.  
"Shh, let's go back to the bedroom. You're going to need a few more accessories to look like a _proper_ bitch."

Severus followed where Harry led, and Harry took a moment to admire the hard cock pointing up towards his belly when he walked, the heavy pink bollocks swaying with each step. A swift swat to the buttocks encouraged him to quicken his pace, the bells jingling merrily with each step forward. 

Back in the bedroom, Harry went to the chest where they kept their toys, noting absently that it had already been opened this morning when Severus had retrieved the collar. Harry gathered all the devices he wanted to decorate his pet with.

First, the nipple rings. Severus had always liked having his nipples played with, despite his reticence to admit it out loud. Harry knew that if they’d had to do it the muggle way and make the nipple piercing a permanent modification to the body, Severus never would have agreed to it. He would have hated the idea for multiple reasons, not least of which was the fact that Severus, in his own words, has “plenty of marks on my body I’m already ashamed of, and I’d prefer not to add another, thank you very much.” But Harry had managed to enchant a pair of rings for temporary use, easily applicable and removable without pain or permanent damage, and it would be an understatement to say that Severus was pleased despite himself with the resulting effect on their sex life.

Harry muttered the command word and the little rings flew to their target and affixed themselves to Sev’s dusk-pink nipples, cheerily glinting in the light from the window. Harry didn’t miss the way his Pet’s tongue peeked out from his lips a moment, as his whole body squirmed to get comfortable with the new accessory, the bells of his collar making a tinkling sound at the motion. 

"Next, we have to get that needy cock under control," Harry said, producing a simple cock cage. It was curved, but not severely, just enough to keep his erection uncomfortably smushed and protected by the metal casing so he couldn't rub it against anything. His bollocks would sit in a soft leather pouch and the device was charmed to prevent orgasm, so he could still have plenty of fun keeping Severus desperately aroused. 

Once it was secured on, Harry took a few moments to fondle his bollocks through the pouch, rubbing the soft leather against his skin until Severus gave a frustrated whine, sinking his head and shoulders down to the floor and spreading his legs lewdly, pushing his arse up to the air. Harry could see the tight hole clenching around nothing, and trailed his fingers up to brush lightly against the rim. 

"Poor, horny pup. Do you need something in your arse?"

"Arf!" Severus barked, and whined, letting out a series of needy pants with his forehead tucked against the floor.

"I think you need a tail. Good little bitches have tails to wag, and so should you." Harry coated a thick black plug with a light sheen of lube, teasing Severus' hole with the blunt tip before pushing it in. He fucked him shallowly with the first inch for a minute, infuriatingly slowly until Severus let out a sob. 

"You want this all in you? This isn’t your usual tail, is it, pup? I charmed this one so the bushy little tail at the end of the flared base will wag everytime you clench. Hmm, you want to clench around this nice thick plug? Then you won't be able to hide from your master how needy you are."

Severus barked in affirmation and waggled his arse enticingly. Harry let the plug sink all the way in, watching the rim stretch over the thickest part. Almost immediately the tail started wagging rapidly, Severus clenching around the plug and attempting to hump his contained cock against the air. 

"Aww, Sev, I bet that feels good. Nice and full and deep? Maybe if you're good I can make it even more interesting." Harry just chuckled at Sev's whine, ran his hands over the pale buttocks as the "tail" wagged quickly back and forth, soft fur brushing against Harry's arms as Severus whimpered and barked. 

"Come on, pup. Playtime!" Harry said finally, a gentle tug directing him out the door. They'd done a little bit of "play" before, just a few minutes with a ball in the house, but today Severus was needing the _full experience_ , as it were, so Harry was determined to bring him outside and tire him out. 

Severus scampered along after him happily until he froze at the back door. Harry opened it out to the back garden, then waited expectantly, but Severus just glanced between him and the open door and whimpered. 

Harry knew that on some level, logically, Severus was fully aware that there was no one around for miles; they were on a nice secluded piece of property, and even if someone managed to wander by, the privacy wards would prevent anyone from seeing or hearing anything. But something about crossing over the threshold and into the outside world on all fours and stark naked was making this too real. If Harry didn’t take the situation firmly in hand, Severus was liable to become humiliated and upset, and the last thing Harry wanted was to rip him out of this subspace that he’d so clearly needed today.

"There's no one here but us, pet," Harry said softly, kneeling down a moment to stroke a hand down his pup’s side. "Master wants what's best for his puppy, don't you want to play outside, hmm? Feel the sunshine on your fur, roll around on soft grass?" Harry kept smiling encouragingly, his voice light as he stood once more. "I want to play with my sweet pup!" He took a step outside and gave a light tug to the leash again, encouraging Severus to come out with him. When he tentatively stepped out and over the step, then onto the grass, Harry erupted in excited praise. 

"Such a good boy!" Harry exclaimed, scratching at the base of his hair and over the sensitive spots of his neck, causing Severus to wriggle into the touch and then relax. "Good puppy, so obedient and adorable, aren't you?" Harry was laying it on pretty thick, but honestly, he _liked_ this. Liked it a lot, showering Severus in praise and having him respond with excited yips and wiggles and pants. It wasn't just better than being met with a scoff or a scowl, he liked it even more than the blush and _thank you, sir_ that Severus gifted him with when they played more traditionally submissive. 

It was summer, but still too early to be very pleasantly warm, especially when naked, so Harry cast a warming charm on Severus so he could roll around in the dew damp grass without shivering. "Come on, puppy, let's explore your garden. Want to sniff the flowers, want to run around a bit? Master wants his pretty puppy to have fun."

Severus crawled around hesitantly for a moment, nosing into the flowerbed and even digging into the dirt a bit with his "paws". He kept glancing at Harry for approval, or possibly judgement, but the more he gave into acting like a puppy, the louder and happier Harry praised him, until Severus was scampering across the grass and panting happily, circling around Harry and then tugging at the pyjama bottoms with his teeth, growling and barking at him to play along. 

"What is it, boy? You want me to chase you, hmm?" Severus barked in affirmative, excitedly drawing Harry into a little zigzag formation as he slowly chased after him. Severus wasn't nearly as adept on running on four legs as an actual dog, but Harry wanted to give into the spirit of the game. He loved the sheer _fun_ of this; it wasn't just about sexual gratification, just a warmth and intimacy. He knew Severus enjoyed the puppy play far more than he was willing to let on when they talked about it afterwards, and Harry hoped maybe a very good day when he got to spoil and play with and love on his pup would convince Severus to be more open with him. 

It had come about almost by accident, that first foray into petplay. They'd been experimenting with a variety of kinks for a bit now, and had had vanilla sex for over a year before that, so Harry was getting a pretty good sense of what Severus was responding to best. Once he'd first managed to drag Severus over the hurdle of admitting he wanted and needed that sort of dynamic in their lives, the ultimate motivation became quite clear. He wanted to get outside of his head, wanted to trust enough to let Harry take the reins from him. The more they did it, the more obvious it was that Severus was craving something with higher intensity, with more effect than just being tied up or denied orgasm or spanked. 

Severus had suggested more intense pain play, and though Harry personally enjoyed some level of it, Severus seemed to think being beaten bloody or flayed open would be the answer to his intensity needs, to see how much he could take before being broken. But Harry knew his own limits and preferences, and also that he was far too much a novice to be able to break Severus out of his own head and keep him out of it with the necessary amount of safety and skill. 

So he'd done more research, reached out to some of the online friends he'd made when they first started this journey, and was suggested _roleplay_.

A few different options for roleplay, actually. Harry had a private laugh over "teacher and student". How might that work? He’d elected to not even mention that one to Severus. But then _pet play_ just...stood out to him. It wasn't something he'd ever heard of before, let alone considered, but seeing as the whole point was to help get the sub out of their pesky human mindset, Harry thought it might just be the ticket. 

Severus had balked at the idea at first. "This is a compromise," Harry had said, and Severus just shook his head firmly. "No compromise is necessary," Severus had replied. "You said you are not interested in what I had proposed, so forget about it. Just go back to how things were before and forget I ever asked."

But that was Severus, refusing to admit his disappointment, still clearly thinking Harry didn't _want_ to help him, to find whatever thing was going to give him what he needed. After enough asking, though, Severus finally "gave in", saying he'd give it a try, but that it was weird and humiliating and that Harry shouldn't expect a repeat.

Harry had gotten him warmed up with a short scene of things he already knew Severus liked: some rope, some sex, and a spanking over his knee. When Severus was finally drifted down enough, Harry produced the collar he'd shown him before, and asked if he wanted to be Master's puppy for a while. Severus had agreed, soaked up praises and pets and when the collar was on…

Well, something had _changed_. Harry had a hard time keeping Severus' attention, he kept drifting off, looking thoughtful and unfocused. Harry had worried he was having some sort of flashback, but when he tried to break the scene and remove the collar, Severus had thrown his hand up over the buckle to block him and _growled_. 

Harry had just sat back, dumbfounded. "You're okay, then? You want to keep going?" Severus just nodded firmly, awareness coming back into his eyes. "You want to sit by my feet and let me pet you for a bit, pup?" Harry had asked softly, and that's how the scene had continued for close to an hour, Severus gathered up at Harry's feet, sleepily leaning into pets and soft praises. 

"Too slow, pup!" Harry whooped, tackling him with a laugh when he let himself catch up. Severus was getting tired after several minutes running around, and Harry decided he needed a bit of a break to catch his breath. Harry swung a leg over Severus', growled low in his ear and pinned him to the ground. Severus wrestled back, barking in protest at "losing" the game, but sounded no less joyful then before. 

"Lie down, pup," Harry ordered, letting him stretch out on the grass and soak up the sunlight. Harry sat next to him, petting along his back and praising his good, pretty puppy, telling him how much fun he was, how proud Master was of him, until his hands were circling the soft flesh of his buttocks, lightly scratching the flesh. 

Severus moaned, and the black tail began to swish back and forth, indicating that Severus was clenching the plug inside him. 

"Oh, does that feel good, pet?" Harry questioned, stroking the flesh more firmly and then teasing down his inner thighs. Severus bucked his hips against the ground, then whimpered, the cock cage squeezing his burgeoning erection uncomfortably. 

"Poor puppy," Harry said in a pitiful voice. "If you could be trusted to control your horny cock, we wouldn't have had to cage it up." Severus whined, clawing at the ground beneath his hands and doing his best at enticing Harry with a wriggle of his arse, tail whipping back and forth rapidly as he sought to gain more stimulation from the thin plug. 

Harry chuckled darkly. He gripped the base of the tail and pulled it halfway out, then pressed it back in, achingly slowly. Severus hated slowly, and Harry knew he'd be begging for _harder_ and _faster_ if he were speaking like a human today. But the puppy could only growl and whine and whimper pathetically as Harry slowly and casually fucked him with the first couple of inches of the plug. After several minutes of torturing him, Severus growled loudly in pained frustration and turned his head to the part of Harry closest to his mouth, and bit him. 

Harry yelped more in surprise than actual pain, Severus hadn't bitten down _hard_ after all. Just expressing his frustration. "Bad dog!" Harry exclaimed, eyes narrowing, and Severus appeared to immediately regret his action, giving a low, questioning "arf" and lowering his head down to the ground, glancing up at Harry uncertainly. "I think puppy needs a spanking to cool down, hmm?" Harry said, and didn't miss the way Severus' arse still perked up at the declaration despite the slight tremble in his shoulders. 

"We're going to have to find a punishment you don't actually _enjoy_ ," Harry said with a roll of his eyes. But true to his word, he brought his hand down swiftly with a hard _smack_ across the pale flesh. "Good puppies do _not_ bite their Master," he said, after adding a few more blows in a haphazard pattern. Severus howled, but the whimpering moans that followed made it obvious he wasn't getting a real punishment. After enough spanks to color the white flesh a lovely pale pink, Harry soothed over the warm skin with a few strokes, stopping to fondle the heavy bollocks in their leather pouch. He gave them a rough squeeze, and Severus howled quite prettily at that. 

"Are you going to be a good puppy again?" Harry asked, adding a harsh pinch to his inner thigh. 

"Arf! Arf!" Severus barked loudly, nodding, then turned to bunt his nose against Harry's chest, nuzzling his face against him in contrition. 

"Good," Harry replied with a pat. "You up for one more game?" He produced a red rubber ball from his pocket. "Want to show me how good puppies play?"

Severus barked in acknowledgement and sat up in his begging pose, eyes on the ball.

"Fetch, puppy!" Harry ordered, tossing the ball a short distance away.

Severus brought it back and dropped it at Harry's feet, and so he picked it up and rolled it off in the other direction. Severus was getting very into it, having slipped completely into puppy space and acting more joyful and happy than Harry had ever seen. He made sure to layer on the praise, stopping often to pat him, scratch behind his ears, tell him what a good boy he was. 

After losing track of time, many throws and returns into the game, Harry looked down at the pitiful sight of Severus sweaty and red and covered in dirt. He should be exhausted by now, and probably was, but the puppy mindset just made him appear happy, very happy actually, giving little excited yips and nuzzling against Harry's pyjamas, drooling over the red ball in his mouth, and signaling he was ready for him to toss it again.

 _Play_ had apparently been a rather new concept for Severus. In Severus’s previous forays into acting as a dog, he’d always given the most resistance around the idea of play. Last time they’d brought out the ball in the house, Harry had rolled it on the floor and told dog-Severus to go “Fetch!”, and the poor pup’s body language had taken a sharp turn into misery, like he’d thought it was some sort of punishment.

(He’d asked human-Severus about it afterwards. Asking human-Severus about dog-Severus was hit-or-miss, since sometimes the man would clam up about it from shame, and other times he just honestly wouldn’t remember what he’d been thinking when he was so deep in headspace. But on the subject of fetch, Severus had just snorted, and admitted that, even when he was that deep in his dog persona, there still had been some stubborn part of his psyche _insisting_ that Harry was making fun of him.) 

It was better, this time. Maybe part of it was the toys, the tail still wagging eagerly as pup trotted across the grass in a jumble of long limbs. Maybe another part of it was dog-Severus responding in kind to Harry’s enthusiasm.

"Good boy, Sev," Harry said, taking the ball but pocketing it instead of rolling it along the soft grass for Severus to continue playing fetch. He conjured a bowl and filled it with water from his wand, which Severus lapped up gratefully. He helped by tilting the bowl up a bit, so Severus could drink more easily and deeply after all the exertion instead of just relying on what he could get to with his tongue. 

"What a happy doggy you are!" Harry said, after Severus finished and resumed the sweet, joyful barks. He indulged Severus in some more pets, mussing up his hair in the pigtails. "But you're all dirty now! Bathtime for pups."

Severus whined and cowered back a bit, and Harry frowned. There was something to his tone beyond just wanting to keep playing, he seemed afraid as soon as Harry mentioned the word "bath.” 

It was a risk to try bathtime again. Harry remembered the last time: too-cold water, the sudden drop in Harry’s dominant confidence, dog-Severus’s distress as he started noticing Harry’s nervousness, and glass bottles falling from a shelf when Harry tripped over the lead. Instinctively, Severus caught the bottles of hygiene potions mid-air with wandless magic. Then frozen, shoulders stiff and face carved into a scowl, he'd wrapped his arms around himself so tight Harry could see the indent of nails in the flesh of his biceps. Severus had leapt out of the tub before Harry could react and stumbled, dripping, into the bedroom, locking the door behind him. It took three hours for Harry to finally convince Severus to let him in the door, and then he found Severus fully clothed, laying on the bed, on top of the covers, staring at the ceiling in silence.

It hadn’t been a pleasant way to end a scene. Harry had done his best to comfort Severus and reassure him, but he also had gotten the impression that they wouldn’t be playing puppy again anytime soon. 

That was why it’d been so surprising to find Severus in the collar this morning. And if Severus was willing to give things another shot, (or if Severus _needed_ to give things another shot), then Harry would just summon his Gryffindor courage and try again to meet his puppy’s needs. And right now, his puppy desperately needed a bath. 

"Hey, it's okay," Harry said soothingly. "We're just gonna get you cleaned up, love."

Severus whined again, still clearly uncertain, but when Harry hooked the lead back to his collar he followed him inside without fighting.

When they entered the bathroom, Harry shut the door, and then carefully unhooked the lead from Sev’s collar so it wouldn’t be a tripping hazard. He cast a quick cleaning charm over himself so he wouldn't end up dirtying Severus even more. Then, Harry decided on how to approach this, figuring he’d rinse him off first and get the worst of the dirt off, then treat him to a proper bath. He pulled down the showerhead, and let it run until it was pleasantly warm but not too hot, testing it on the inside of his wrist like he’d used to do for Teddy. "Come here, pup," Harry murmured. Severus hadn't taken his eyes off the water the whole time and was crouched down so his chest was almost pressed against the floor. At Harry's direction, he tentatively stepped closer. Harry had to all but tug him up into the tub, but when the water hit his skin he reacted with such surprise Harry worried for a moment it had scorched him. 

He checked the temperature with his hand. No, still just warm. "Feels nice, doesn't it? Nice and warm? Here, let's get all the dirt off you," Harry said, running the showerhead along his body, now that Severus was more receptive. "Did you have fun playing outside in the sunshine, pet? I'm glad I remembered the sunscreen charm, since otherwise Doggy would be red all over, hmm?"

Severus barked, his happier, high pitched yip and Harry smiled. He undid the hair ties and brushed his fingers through the hair. "I'll give you your ears back after the bath, don't worry. I think you look so cute with those pink bows around your 'ears'," Harry said with a chuckle. 

Harry adored the way Severus responded to praise like this. It was easily going to become addictive, and even if Severus only _tolerated_ puppy play (which Harry was doubting more every second) it was probably Harry's new very favorite kink. It was rare, getting to see the proud and tight-laced man so wanton and open and loving and just… _happy_. Harry always thought Severus was gorgeous, no matter what he might have thought of himself, but the sheer joy that glowed under his skin and lit up his face made him breathtakingly beautiful. 

"Now, let's give you a proper bath, Pet," Harry said after rinsing him off. He maneuvered Severus so he was sitting up a bit, still on his knees, but not crouched forward on all fours. He watched as the tub filled a few inches with hot water, not too hot, just a very pleasant warmth. On a whim, he waved his wand and sweet smelling bubbles covered the surface of the water. He delighted when Severus cautiously poked at a few of the suds, yipping in delight as they popped. He was even more thrilled when Severus reacted with his sudden laugh not with the hurt of perceived mockery, but a sweet little smile, then, shockingly, a small, cautious lick to Harry’s jaw. 

He startled for a moment and Severus pulled back, nervous, until Harry soothed him with a smile. "Good, pup," he said softly, and smoothed his hand down Severus' now loose hair and down over his back, petting in long strokes until cupping his buttocks just below the surface of the water. Severus gave a little wiggle at the contact. 

He summoned a flannel and soaped it up, using the cloth to rub all over Severus' skin. "Doesn't the bath feel nice, pet," Harry murmured, wanting Severus to keep losing himself in puppy space and not remember the way a bath had soured the scene last time. "Warm water, a soft flannel stroking over your skin?" Severus simply sighed in contentment, only moving when Harry maneuvered him, muscles slack and relaxed under the gentle strokes with the cloth.

Harry eventually moved lower, holding his bound cock and jostling the cage. "We should take this off," he murmured. "Make sure you are properly clean all over. Can you be good?" 

"Arf," Severus barked once to show the affirmative, although rather pitifully. 

"Yeah, you know what that means," Harry said with a note of warning. "Good dogs are obedient, and just like good submissives, they never, ever come without permission." Severus whined but nodded his understanding.

He carefully unlocked the simple cock cage, and stroked him with one hand while setting the metal and leather (charmed waterproof) aside to dry. Severus quickly sprang to full hardness, giving a high pitched, pleading yip. 

"Such a randy puppy!" Harry said with a click of his tongue. He gave Severus' bollocks a harsh squeeze and Severus yelped, but at the same time spread his legs wider to allow him more access to his bits. 

Harry was only human, and the sight of a flushed and panting Severus, wet from the bath and legs spread, cock hard and bobbing was impossible to resist. He'd come down his pet's throat not even a couple of hours ago and he was already uncomfortably hard again. 

"Want to show me how well trained you are, pet?" He asked, fondling his bollocks before stroking at his perineum. His mouth was practically watering at the way those pale thighs trembled and Severus barked and nodded. The tail was soaked by now from the bath, but wagging so quickly from Severus' apparently constant clenching that it was splashing water all over Harry and the edge of the tub. He took hold of the base of the tail and thrust shallowly a few times before removing it with one swift motion and heard a whimper at the loss. "Show me what a good puppy you are, and how much you can take without coming, even without the help of a cock cage. You do _not_ have permission to come. Understand?" Harry said sternly, and the affirmative bark was cut off with a cry when Harry's fingertip pushed into his arse, pushing in and out shallowly and teasing at the rim. 

Severus fell forward onto his hands so he was up on all fours again, legs spread wantonly and cock hard and red, drops of precome glistening at the head. Harry stretched him further, summoning lubricant and adding another finger, teasing him until Severus was trembling all over. 

"There's that bitch in heat, again," Harry said, his voice low with arousal. "Look at you, gagging to be mounted and fucked. Is that what you want, pet, to be fucked nice and hard, stretched out around my cock?"

Severus looked like he wanted to cry with arousal, lips spilling over with noises, both human and animal, and Harry grinned. 

"Master loves when his puppy is loud," Harry said, "don't hold back any pretty noises, pet. Bark for me, puppy, if you want to be fucked."

Severus barked once, sharply, then again after a long pause to emphasize the _yes_. Harry didn't need to be told twice and stripped off his clothes, noting with pleasure that Severus' eyes were glued to his throbbing cock and he'd slipped back into panting mode, mouth wide open and tongue out. He joined him in the tub, taking a moment to position himself behind Severus' trembling arse before thrusting into him harshly, already well lubed and slightly stretched from the plug and finger play. Severus howled at the sudden feeling of fullness, and Harry took him hard and quick, digging his fingers into his hips hard enough that he hoped he left bruises. 

Severus was shaking with the will to hold off his mounting pleasure, and nearly sobbed when Harry decided to reach around to the front of his chest, and tug on his nipple rings. 

"That's a good boy," Harry panted, thrusting harder as Severus tried to clench around his cock. "You take what you're given, good pet. You can do it. If you're a good boy, you'll be rewarded," Harry added, twisting the rings sharply until he was half holding Severus up, the poor man writhing beneath him and barely able to find purchase in the sloshing water.

"So fucking _tight_ ," Harry said, pushing in past Severus' clenching muscles, enjoying the cries from Severus and the splashing of the water against the sides of the tub as he rocked them both back and forth. "You feel amazing, pet, you're so good for me. Does it feel good, Sev, you aching for release?"

He paused to give his nipples a few quick tugs; he knew how sensitive his nipples were, especially when the piercings were manipulated, and he knew he wasn't making it easy for Severus to stave off orgasm. Harry honestly wasn’t sure if Severus would be able to hold himself back, but he’d been surprised by Severus’ obedience in things like this before, and he was eager to find out how much of that control dog-Severus had a grip on. Sev gave a deep throated _woof_ , followed by a few yips and his whole body was shaking, so Harry felt confident that he was right on the edge. "I'm close, pet. I'm going to give that lovely cock a nice hard smack, because it makes you clench so _hard_ around my cock. No coming, you just take what I give you like a good little cockslut. Good puppy bitches don't get orgasms unless they've been very obedient, isn't that right?"

Harry lifted Severus up a bit by his hips, cock still deep in his arse, and reached below to slap his cock. Severus howled, thrashed against him, splashing against the water, and clenched down hard around Harry's cock, so tight he nearly came right there. "Fuck, yes, so fucking good," Harry cried out, weak from the sudden burst of pleasure. He resumed his hard thrusts, a few moments away from coming. He took Severus' cock in hand, rubbing roughly over the wet head with his thumb. "Not yet," Harry said in warning, and the fact that Severus appeared to be actually crying from frustration only served to bring him closer to the peak.

Harry twisted his fingers in Severus' hair and pulled his head back so he could see his face more clearly. He ground into him harder at the sight of tears streaking down his face, his eyes clamped tightly shut and his lips murmuring quietly, pitiful woofs and moans. 

"You are being so good for me," Harry said, stroking over his cheek and wiping off the wet tears. "Must be so hard to keep from coming, so needy and being such a good little bitch for your master," he murmured and Severus gave a keening whine. Harry only needed another hard thrust before coming deep in his arse, bucking against him with a few short thrusts to ride out the wave of orgasm. He twisted the nipple rings again idly as he regained his breath, Severus still trembling against him and writhing under his attention. 

"Good boy, such a very, very good boy, holding off just because I said so." Harry pulled out reluctantly and Severus whined at the loss, bucking his hips and thrusting towards the water, rippling the surface. Harry smacked hard at his buttocks. "Keep still, you still don't have permission." He drained the water, using his fingers to clean up the semen dripping out of the red, twitching hole. At the attention from Harry's fingers, Severus sobbed again, another bout of tears as he tried to hold on, clutching at the floor of the tub with white knuckled fingers, his whole body trembling, obviously using all his might not to come. 

"So obedient," Harry murmured, impressed. "You want to come, don't you. Why don't you beg properly, show me if my good little bitch really _needs it_ enough."

Severus barked, moved up to perch on his knees and turned to face Harry, hands held out slack against his chest. "Arf!" He cried, panting heavily, his pink tongue out and heavy, before lapping at Harry's face and neck, whimpering softly and giving pitiful little yips. All the while he was thrusting his bobbing cock up towards Harry, his eyes pleading with him to take pity on him and his dripping, hard cock. 

"You beg so sweetly, don't you pet? How can I resist?" Harry asked stroking down over Severus' hair, scratching at his scalp and taking in the sight of panting, begging Sev, face still red and wet with tears. "Your balls must be aching so much, hmm? The pain of denied release? Such a very good boy." Harry considered how to bring him off. After an intense, hard come, he'd be nice and languid, maybe he'd transfigure him a soft dog bed and let him curl up in front of the fire, giving him the time he needed to come back to himself. But right now he was anything but still, trembling and panting, his whines and barks and pretty little noises increasingly desperate, until Sev was bowing in front of him, head low against the porcelain floor of the tub and whimpering, rubbing at Harry's legs with his cheeks. 

"Oh, none of that,” Harry said gently, pulling his pup out of the bow that his human side wouldn’t have been proud of. “Come here, sweet boy. _Good_ puppy, you’re _such_ a good puppy, let's give you what you begged so pretty for, hmm?" Harry arranged him in his arms, lying him back against his chest facing up, he used his legs to twist around Severus’ and pulled them apart, keeping him spread while he pressed a kiss to the top of Severus' hair, fingers busy playing with his nipples and momentarily ignoring his cock, so dark it was nearly purple with need and leaking. Severus was sniffling now but holding position perfectly and Harry summoned the shower head with one hand, continuing his ministrations on the hard, flushed nipples with the other. He turned on the water, checked the temperature and set the intensity up high while it was positioned to their sides. Satisfied, he maneuvered it over Severus' thighs, teasing the sensitive flesh of his inner thighs with the water pressure. The poor puppy’s cock gave an eager twitch.

"I'll let you feel this on your cock, pet, nice and warm and intense right where you need to be touched most. But no coming until I've slapped your cock three times. Understand me?" He asked, punctuating his words with a twist to a nipple ring. 

Severus moaned, long and high and desperate, but shook his head in a nod and made a single pitiful, sobbing bark. 

Harry maneuvered the showerhead directly over his cock, and Severus thrashed and trembled, starting to cry more openly at the force of holding back against the onslaught of water pressure. 

"I'll be quick, you're being such a good boy." He brought his hand down in a hard smack. "That's one," Harry said as Severus howled. He followed with another, even harder. He pulled the showerhead even closer, the stream of water beating down on his abused cock. "One more and my good little bitch can come," Harry murmured into his ear, and brought his hand down heavy on his cock. 

As if on cue, Severus burst out with a howl and bucked up against the air, his cock shooting come in thick spurts over his chest and even streaked over the tub as he thrust and ground his backside against Harry, stiff with his release for a long moment before finally collapsing back. 

"Hmm, that looked like it felt nice," Harry said, stroking languidly down Severus' chest, soothing the shuddering motions as his pet sought to catch his breath. "Feeling good, puppy?"

Severus gave a low moan that was probably meant to be an affirmative bark, but he seemed too wrung out to move, let alone speak. Harry chuckled, pressed a few kisses to his temple, and gave Severus a little bit longer to bask in the afterglow. Then, Harry found the misplaced flannel and used it to gently clean away the tear tracks from Sev’s face.

After rinsing them both off once more, he gathered Severus up in a large, fluffy towel and took care drying him off all over. Harry cast a quick drying spell over himself before gingerly tugging on his own previously discarded pants and pyjama bottoms. Severus was still deep in subspace, kneeling on the bathroom floor and wrapped snug in terrycloth, a calm expression on his face and a soft smile that made Harry instinctively reach out to stroke down over his tousled hairline, brush fingertips along his cheeks. "Can you walk, love? I think it's naptime for puppies."

Severus obeyed slowly, crawling out to follow Harry over to the living room, the towel draped across his shoulders like a cape. Harry lit the fireplace with a wave of his wand, sat himself on the end of the couch and pulled Severus up to lie against him, confident that Severus was too drowsy and happy to offer any reluctance to being on the human furniture. He replaced the damp towel with a warm, gray blanket and arranged it over them both. Severus melted against him, pillowing his head on Harry's chest and giving soft, happy tutts when Harry combed through his long hair with his fingers. 

“My good boy,” Harry whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of Severus’ head, “my sweet boy. So good for me today. I’m going to take off the rings, now, okay?” At a soft sound of acknowledgement from Severus, Harry said the command phrase for the nipple rings again and they detached and flew back into Harry’s palm. Severus whimpered. “They’re a bit sore, aren’t they, hmm? We played a lot with them today. Do you want something for the soreness, love?” 

The pup gave a sleepy growl, and Harry chuckled. “Alright, alright. Keep your bruises, whatever, I was just offering.” He levitated the rings over to the table, and then returned his focus to petting Sev’s hair, though he did slip his free hand under the blanket to check on the skin there, to make sure the rings had worked as expected and hadn’t accidentally drawn any blood. They hadn’t, but Severus gave a little half-hearted whine of discomfort at the prodding and Harry rolled his eyes, breaking into an affectionate grin. “Well, you let me know if you change your mind about that, pup. Are you hurting anywhere else? How are your knees?”

Grumbling wordlessly, Severus stretched himself out over the couch until he was fully lying down, nuzzling into Harry’s lap like a pillow. 

Harry snorted. “Right then, guess there’s no rush.” He stroked the hair away from Severus’ face, fondly. “Let’s sit here for a while, okay pup? You can take a nap if you like. Then when you’re ready, do you think you could talk to me again? Would that be alright, sweetheart?”

Severus didn’t open his eyes, but he nodded slightly, and then turned over onto his side, snuggling closer against Harry’s thigh and pulling the blanket over his shoulder with a little, contented sigh.

Now, Harry found himself feeling oddly proud, and deeply satisfied, not just from the mind-blowing orgasms but also from just… being able to successfully keep Severus safe, this morning. Being able to guide him through whatever started all this, and make the day loving and warm and fun for him. Granted, it was only half past noon, and there was plenty of time for the day to turn on him, but... 

He studied Severus’ face, turned away from Harry and towards the fire, blissfully dozing. His usually pallid skin was now aglow, not just from the warmth of the hearth, but also from all the exercise and joy from this morning. Harry’s fingers trailed down the side of Sev’s jaw, and he pulled the hem of the plush blanket aside slightly, to study the dark of the collar against Severus’ neck.

And, suddenly, Harry realized that he hadn’t even noticed the scarring, today, at least not consciously. With the stark contrast of the black leather against pale skin, the damage from Nagini’s bite was muted in comparison, hard to see except under the right lighting. As gently as a breath of air, Harry brushed the backs of his knuckles against the scar, and Severus didn’t even stir. 

At the beginning of all this play, Harry had found it easy to jump between thinking of Severus, his partner and lover, and Severus, the submissive (or, lately, the dog). It was all the same man, different layers, different parts of himself, different ways of being. But in that moment by the fire with the puppy in his lap, Harry felt like something had shifted. Today, in a way, puppy had really been someone, something _else_. Not in a bad way, but just… Sev had really needed to be _just_ a puppy, and Harry had found himself falling in love with the puppy too, with a different and special kind of affection reserved especially for this dog he adored.

Harry didn’t just love playing with the puppy _for the sake of_ human-Severus. He loved dog-Severus for its own sake, too. Harry loved _both_ of him, or, rather, all of him, every iteration of him, like refracted beams of colored light.

Some time later, when Harry’s eyes had begun to water from staring too long into the fire, Severus stirred. He pushed himself up, supporting himself on two hands with the blanket tenting around his shoulders, and he blinked sleepily down at Harry’s thigh which had been his pillow. “Hello, love,” Harry greeted him gently, carefully not using a puppy term or a person term until he was sure which side Severus had woken up on.

But then Severus’ hand found Harry’s cheek, and Harry made a little happy noise at being kissed, for what must have been the very first time all morning. Then Severus pulled back slightly, and said only “Harry,” against his mouth. His eyes were lowered, but that wasn’t unusual from him after an intense scene, partly because eye contact was difficult when feeling submissive, and also partly because it was an instinctive habit of occlumency to avert one’s eyes when feeling vulnerable or off-center. Harry didn’t mind that, and he was gratified to hear Severus’ voice again.

“How are you feeling?” Harry asked.

Severus leaned on his hip and stretched out one knee experimentally, then winced. With a characteristic scowl, he remarked dryly, “Ten years from now, some poor mediwitch is going to ask me how I ever managed to completely obliterate my joints, and I will be forced to inform her that no, Madam, this has nothing to do with fighting the dark lord. Rather, my husband is fond of playing fetch.”

Harry laughed so hard he nearly choked on his own spit, and Severus gave a wry smile, blushing a little when Harry tugged him closer for another kiss on the cheek. “Alright, one Jingleheimer's Joint 'Juvinator coming right up. Anything else I can get you?”

Severus shook his head mutely, but when Harry stood, Severus’ fingers suddenly gripped around his wrist, and then he found himself pulled back down to the sofa. Harry quirked an eyebrow, and asked, “Not yet?”

“Not… yet.” Severus’ voice had a rough, low quality to it after a morning spent barking and whining. He still wore the collar around his throat, and his body was nude under the blanket. His side was reddish-pink with indentations from the fabric of the couch. 

The waves of renewed affection splashed through Harry’s mind with every beat of his heart.

Severus pulled his knees under himself, and then faced Harry directly, took Harry’s hand between his own, and finally pinned Harry in place with those dark, beautiful eyes. “I love you,” Severus said gravely. “You know this, right?”

“Of course,” Harry said, pressing a chaste kiss to his mouth once more, and Severus closed his eyes again, seeming to savor it. “I love you, too.”

Severus sighed, and his eyes only reached the height of Harry’s still-bare collarbones. “I know this morning mustn't have been easy for you. Thank you, for…” he ducked his head further, trailing off with a shy smile. “You indulge me.”

Harry smiled back, caressing gently down the side of Severus’ cheek with a thumb. “Do you want to talk about what triggered all this?”

Unsurprisingly, Severus shook his head, but surprisingly, the smile didn’t abate, only growing into real joy. “It doesn’t matter anymore. It is all... “ he gestured vaguely with his fingers, and then those fingers found the collar at his neck, and he removed it, and held it between both his hands thoughtfully. 

“You had fun,” Harry said, with an easy smile, tilting his head against the sofa back. “You don’t have to say it, Sev, I know you had a good time, didn’t you?” The corner of Severus’ lips twisted upward into an almost reluctant grin, and a blush settled across his cheekbones. Harry felt his eyes burn a bit with too much emotion, and he glanced down at the collar instead of at Severus’ face, where somehow it felt too difficult to observe directly. “Anytime,” he promised, softly, “I’ll give my dog some love anytime he needs it. And I’m—I’m proud he knew when he needed it, you know?”

Still smiling despite himself, Severus cleared his throat, and gathered the blanket tighter around his body to cover his modesty as he stood from the sofa. “‘Juvinator,” he muttered as a reminder, and then started carefully pacing back towards the bedroom, tossing over his shoulder, “After I’ve dressed, what would you like for lunch?”

Instead of answering, Harry just watched the bare ankles peeking out from the bottom of the traveling bundle of blankets, and thought about the collar still clutched in Severus’ fingers, hidden like a secret in the cocoon of his warmth.


End file.
